Baoan

Baoan 宝安市 Bǎo'ān shì
City
Clockwise from top: Baoan skyline, Zaixian State Office, Baoan City Public Library
Baoan Map of Monsilva with Baoan highlighted
Country	Monsilva
State	Zaixian
Settled	9th century BCE
Declared city	27 October 1475
Zaixian state est.	1 July 1984
Government
• Body	Baoan County Council
• Governor	Ye Liqiu (Zaixian Party)
Population  (July 2022)
• Total	795,974
Time zone	AMT+13 (Monsilvan Eastern Time, MET)
ISO 3166 code	MS-ZAI-B
Transit System(s)	MRA Amking Metro
Police	Baoan County Police
Ambulance	Zaixian State Ambulance
Fire	Zaixian Fire Service

Baoan (Monsilvan: 宝安市; pinyin: Bǎo'ān shì), also written as Bao'an, is a city in Monsilva and the capital of the state of Zaixian. It is the largest city with a population of under 1 million people. The city is located in the north of Zaixian, near the border with the state of Amking. The city lies north of Minxiong South National Park, south-west of the Zhongyang Mountain Range in Amking, and east of the plains of eastern Huachang. The city is located around a lake which sits in the middle of the Gong River which has given the city its unique lakeside characteristic. As the capital of Zaixian, Baoan is the seat of the Zaixian State Government, and is home to the Zaixian State Office. The city has an estimated population of 795,974 (June 2022). Baoan is Monsilva's 16th most-populous city, which places it ahead of Taimali but behind Tsingyi. Baoan holds 60% of the state of Zaixian's population, with the other 40% living in the city of Lunbei or in other towns and villages located across the state.

The city is one of Monsilva's warmest due to its southern location. Although inhabited for almost three thousand years, it, along with the state of Zaixian, has retained a relatively low population. The city saw its largest growth during the 1980s. The city is not a very popular tourist destination, however some of its more well known attractions include the Zaixian State Office, the Baoan City Public Library and the Tomb of Ro Hao. Education in the city is also good, with many educational institutions in Baoan. Zaixian State University, which is located in Baoan, is a popular earth sciences focused university which has gained fame within Monsilva for its students often being strong activists for environmental development and eco-friendliness. Baoan is served by railways, highways and bus lines which allow travellers to enter and exit the city. The city itself is also connected to the Amking Metro, which despite its name is actually a state-wide railway service as well as an urban metro network. The Monsilvan Railways Administration also serves the city operating services to Lunbei and Amking Central. The city does not have an airport, although Xu Zhou-da International Airport is easily accessible by rail and road transit.

Toponymy

The name Baoan comes directly from the HY Pinyin of the Monsilvan "宝安", (Bǎo'ān). The character "宝" (bǎo) means "precious", while the character "安" (ān) means "peace". Together the name means "precious peace". The origin of this name is unknown, but it likely came from a description of Baoan's location as 'precious' and 'peaceful' which resulted in the name.

History

Baoan has been inhabited for thousands of years, just as the rest of Monsilva. However, the city wasn't established as a named settlement until the late 4th century BCE under the Wu dynasty. During Monsilva's early dynastic period up until 1201, Baoan remained as a small agricultural town which, although small, served as an administrative centre for the North Minxiong plains. It developed as an administrative town during the late 12th century. During the Zhou dynasty, it saw a large increase in population as people began relocating southwards from Amking and Shangrao.

It was during the later years of the Zhou dynasty that Baoan was founded as a city. This development gave Baoan a more important name and increased its influence on trade and the movement of people south and east through Monsilva. During the Empire of Baltanla, this remained, as well as the city becoming home to multiple outposts for the Empire's army. These outposts were transferred to the Kingdom of Great Shan in 1730, and remained even during the Monsilvan Civil War which took place around a hundred years later between 1824 and 1830.

Baoan saw its largest growth during the early 20th century under the Kingdom of Monsilva. During this period it began modernizing and focused highly on education, especially in its local agricultural businesses. In the 1960s, the Zaixian State University, which is located in the city began becoming famously unruly against the military regime. Students at the university were also responsible for beginning the Zaixian is a real place movement which, although semi-satirical at first, became members of the Monsilvan Revolutionary Army in the late 1970s and joined the 1978 Monsilvan protests in Baoan.

Government

Baoan has its own county council, which administers the entire county of Baoan. The county consists of the city and its surrounding area which is mostly what is considered Baoan's greater metropolitan area. The county council is currently lead by the Zaixian Party.

As Baoan is the capital of Zaixian, it is home to the Zaixian State Government in the State Office. The Zaixian State Parliament, also in the State Office, is a 29-seat unicameral legislature which serves the entire state of Zaixian, including Baoan. The seats correspond to each municipality of the state, some of which are Baoan's urban municipalities.

Geography

Baoan is located around a lake which formed from meanders in the Gong River. To its north is the Zhongyang Mountain Range, to the west are the eastern Huachang plains, and to the south is Minxiong South National Park which takes up much of central Zaixian. The city is particularly warm thanks to its southern inland location, recieveing summer temperatures of around 40 degrees celsius and winter temperatures sitting just below 20 degrees celsius.

Cityscape

View of the Baoan skyline.

Demography

As of 2022, there are over 790,000 people living within Baoan's metropolitan area which makes it Monsilva's thirteenth-largest city by population, ahead of Taimali but behind Haimao. Although the city is predominantly Monsilvan in ethnicity, it is noticeably diverse religiously.

Education

Baoan has many educational institutions, from elementary schools to universities. The Zaixian State University is a popular earth-sciences university and is famous in Monsilva for its strict eco-friendly policies and frequent environmentalist activism. Education in Zaixian is mandatory up to the age of 16 aligning with both Zaixian State Law and Monsilvan Federal Law.

Culture

Culture in Baoan has modernized significantly in recent years. Basketball is the city's most popular sport, with one of Monsilva's most successful basketball teams being the Zaixian Bears, named after the native Monsilvan black bear, which have featured in the Super Basketball League since its foundation. Football is also popular, with the city's professional football team, Baoan City F.C. having been in the Challenge League 1 for around five seasons.

Although Baoan is not one of the most popular tourist destinations, a few of its most popular tourist attractions include:

• Zaixian State Office
• Baoan City Public Library
• Tomb of Ro Hao
• Baoan City Zoo

See also

• Outline of Monsilva